05 Jul Last Newsletter 2012-13

Dear reader!
The 2012-13 school year has ended. We had a great outro week, which describes the school year 2012-13 very well. Full speed ahead, great students, excellent mood, imaginative features in a festive end.

The final tests was settled on Tuesday and then the office was buzzing with activity to get all grades entered and all statements and evidence collected for students for their graduation folders. More than 3,000 pieces of paper were signed and handed out to students. And each certificate is acquired with recognition and respect! This year's exam period went beyond all expectations and we can state that the students have once again managed to both live an afterschool year to the full and at the same time perform well in the final exams.

The last days was spent on fellowship and socializing, as well as closing in the contact groups, in the rooms and, not least, with common challenges. On Tuesday, we had organised a trial training session with a guest teacher in American Football, and people really got into it on the pitch. Perhaps the staff should have taken this as a warning, but it still came as a shock to many that on Wednesday afternoon the students won 7-5 over the staff's fantastic and unique annual football team. See pictures here.

Thursday we went to Livø, The beautiful pearl of the Limfjord. The wind passed easily over the fjord and we avoided the worst rain showers. The students enjoyed the beautiful scenery and got around the island on a Livø run. See pictures from Livø here.

During Friday everyone got their rooms cleaned, and during the afternoon everyone prepared for the big Gala Dinner. The dinner consisted of a 3 course menu and entertainment in the form of songs and speeches. Guest martial arts teacher Rene Nielsen presented the fighter of the year trophies. After dinner, everyone gathered in the Multihallen for dances. And the students showed excellent moves!

The big award show in the banqueting hall showed that, despite the lost honour of the football match, the teachers could give the students a run for their money in the entertainment, see a pirate video with lousy sound quality here 😉 (unfortunately lost)
On the last night, not many people got any sleep, and throughout the night there was a fantastic atmosphere in the dining room of Kærhuset and around the bonfire in the South Garden. Students wrote memory books, talked through the year's experiences and shed a tear - or many tears - until the early hours.

Saturday morning, the parents packed their cars and shortly afterwards everyone gathered in the Multicultural Hall for the final graduation ceremony.
In addition to speeches admonishing students to keep memories and community close to their hearts, a number of recognitions were also given to several students. Frederik Hessellund Søgård was chosen by students and teachers as the Comrade of the Year, and was presented with a diploma and a certificate of honour from the Rotary in Løgstør. The highest average of the year - the highest possible - went to Inge Marie Meisner Sørensen in 10th grade and Katrine Schou Jensen in 9th grade. Merle Carstensen from Germany received the recognition for best foreign student performance. Jonas Henriksen was recognised by the staff for his significant development during his stay. There was not a dry eye when we ended with the RE Efterskolesang and the students were presented with their leaving certificates by Vice Principal Ib Christensen and the teachers. After the photo session, the parents went to lunch and they had to admit that it takes a long time to say goodbye after a whole year at school and especially to 285 friends. The last ones left the school at 3 pm, but it is not clear to the staff or the students that it will be over after the holidays, when we will not meet again.

The first week of the summer holidays is about to be gone. A good 200 students from RE12-13 and quite a few from RE10-11 are partying together at the Nibe festival, and as something completely new, the Friends of Ranum Efterskole, in cooperation with parents from years 12-13, have set up a REV communal tent on the camping site. The school has provided a breakfast VIP package and the parents are taking turns to ensure that this end of the year is as safe and good as possible. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all of you who volunteer to make sure that young people have a safe festival.

Now the school year is over and we are preparing for the coming. It's still very unreal, but in just 4 weeks, 300 young people and 20 guest students will come together for another unique and challenging 1TP5Year. During the summer holidays, the school is rented out for a Europaen Summer Summit for volunteers from all over Europe and the world working in the field of cultural exchange and youth. We expect more than 220 young people from more than 28 countries, so we can safely say that in 2013 the world really came to Ranum.

If you miss excitement and inspiration you can follow chef Lars Jeppesen's fight to sail Denmark Round in a sea kayak and win the white-red ribbons. So far, the critical passage across the Wadden Sea is well over and with up to 50 km per day, it looks like the Danish version of the Tour de France will succeed.

The school office will be closed during weeks 28-30. We will answer the phone and emails as the holidays allow 🙂

Best regards and have a great summer !

Olav Storm Johannsen
supervisor
Ranum After School